Why do you care?
by zippity2
Summary: AU pre-curse breaking. Emma Swan is a teenager running away from the foster system. On the way to Canada, her bug breaks down just inside a small town named "Storybrooke". Wrapped up into the town with no way to leave, Emma meets a few interesting people. One of them happens to be the High School guidance counselor, Mary Margaret Blanchard.


Emma Swan had never been one to allow the thoughts of self pity invade her mind, but this evening it seemed like the odds were surely against her. '_Why me?!' _was the only thing without a vulgar curse word she could think of. Yes her car was old, but there was no reason for it to breakdown like this! Maybe she was just convinced the world hated her, that or this was _really_ unfair. There was some spits and sputtering every now and again, but no straight stopping! Nothing had seemed to bring it on, it just... stopped. Emma probably wouldn't know where she was either, if not for the large decorated sign to her right that prominently read, "Welcome to Storybrooke, Maine." Story…brooke? Really? That had to be the stupidest (and most creative) name she had ever heard for a town.

Emma took a deep breath, now vaguely remembering the earthy and damp scent this part of Maine was known for. How many years had it been since the last time she was this part of Maine? It had to have been at least ten years… Despite all the confusingly horrible memories, this area of the state brought back, it was still beautiful to her. The clouds were gray and loomed over the tops of the trees. She could smell the rain coming; maybe it was another super power…

Most (or all) people don't know that Emma has a bit of a… super power. Ever since Emma had been shipped to that second foster home, she could always tell when people were lying. The first foster home she had been in was great, until they had kids of their own and shipped her off to a woman who only fed her five days out of the week. On _many_ occasions as a child she was able to tell when her foster parents were lying. They would feed her and the other kids lies to keep them from squealing to the state. So as much as Emma could tell when they were lying, if she ever said anything about, she ran the possibility of getting broken ribs and bruises. The blonde shook her head angrily, really not wanting to remember all of the deception that had been present in her early childhood.

Lifting herself up off her previous perch on the hood of the bug, Emma had finally come to a conclusion that there was no other option at this point. She would have to go find a mechanic somewhere in this, _Storybrooke._ She just hoped that it wasn't too far of a walk.

* * *

After nearly an hour (or possibly an eternity) Emma was finally able to see a variation in the scenery.

There was a mismatch or buildings and cars that looked like they were still stuck in the eighties. Not only the structures and vehicles were supposedly trapped, but it seemed like the people were too. As the civilians were walking by, Emma could clearly see that most of them were wearing articles of clothing she had only seen in thrift stores. She assumed that it was probably because this town seemed to be hidden away from the big cities. Hell, had it not been for that sign, she definitely wouldn't have known there was a town here. So all the fashion trends and styles most likely weren't able to travel here. Besides, what other explanation could there be?

Once she was now walking among the few people out on the streets, Emma couldn't help but feel uneasy. Not one person she passed in her stride _didn't_ stare at her. Sure she had been used to getting stares what with being the "freak" at her schools... But ever since she had been on the run, she had only been seen as a teenager walking to a restaurant or a corner store. The worst thing people had probably thought of her as was some sort of "hooligan" or something… But walking here, people looked at her like she was some sort of alien, or she was growing a second head!

It was going against Emma's every will not to yell in the middle of the street and question their gawks and stares. She had done that almost every time in school. Usually once she was "angered", most students stopped staring and didn't dare look at her again. But noticing how truly strange it seemed to these people that there was someone knew here, she didn't want to burden anyone. Also, she didn't plan on staying on here longer than a night so there was no point in upsetting anyone. There was no reason to burden anyone in her short stay here. Not that they would remember either way….

After another ten minutes of looking up and down streets, Emma finally was able to spot a mechanic. Though it didn't seem very… trusty, she would just have to take it. Hell, what did she know about trust anyway? She was probably the last person in the world that could judge people based off that. Emma walked slowly, nearly wincing with every step she took. She really hadn't been planning on walking for over an hour straight. The boots she was wearing were definitely _not_ made for walking.

Hearing the clanking of tools and the frustrated grumbles indicated that there was someone there. "Hello?" Emma called out, not knowing where this person was.

"Ow! Goddamn it!" Were the words that followed a loud clang and a crash. Emma cringed to herself, why couldn't she just make a good first impression for once?! She hugged her body with her arms, like she was bracing for impact in a crash. This body language was something she was all too familiar with, what with being so accustomed to being yelled at. A tall man with short brown hair came up to her with a scowl, rubbing his head where he likely bumped it.

"I-I'm sorry about that uh…" Emma's eyes scanned over his fabric sewn nametag, "Micheal…" The mechanic looked at her disapprovingly (or so she thought) before breaking out into a smile. It was a nice gesture, but she could still see the cautiousness behind it.

Michael reached out his slightly greasy hand, "Michael Tillman, though you figured that out already." Emma stared at the hand hesitantly before grabbing it with one of her own.

She forced a smile, quietly replying, "I'm Emma…" She could have sworn she had seen the mechanic nearly raise an eyebrow when she didn't tell him her last name.

"Nice to meet you Emma," he said, releasing their hands. Emma shuffled backwards a bit, preferring to stay inside her own personal bubble. She looked around gingerly, trying to hide her bit of anxiousness that came with being in a new place. "Now," Emma's head snapped back to look at him again when he spoke, "What brings you to my garage?" She could tell this guy was genuinely curious, remembering how the people out on the streets at stared at her.

"My car, it broke down just outside of town" She explained, pointing in the direction she had come from. "It stopped right next to the entry sign; it was weird… almost like magic or something." Emma said simply, and watched the mechanic carefully, seeing something flash across his gaze she couldn't quite identify. Michael nodded slowly, probably thinking about what he should do next.

Without looking at Emma again, he turned towards the left side of the garage before calling, "Billy! Get in here!" Emma forced herself back down from the near jump she had almost done. In a matter of seconds, a young man – who was probably Billy - came running in. He was grinning, despite being yelled at.

"Heya boss! What did you ne-" Billy stopped, turning to see Emma standing awkwardly across from them. "Who's this?" He gestured to Emma with a nod of his head and a smile in her direction. "I'm Billy." He said and held out his hand, before Michael could even introduce her. She took his hand this time and didn't smile. She was done smiling for today. All she wanted was to get her car here, eat, sleep, and then get back on the road. She was so close to her destination, she just needed to get across this speed bump.

"Emma." She responded quickly, not making much eye contact while shaking his hand.

"Billy," Michael said the man's name, catching his attention again. "I need you to take Emma in the tow truck, get her car, and bring it back here." Billy nodded.

"Simple enough boss, I got it!" The young man flashed his smile again before turning to Emma, "Alright Emma, let's go, shall we?" Emma held back a displeased groan that was to be in response to his "charm".

* * *

Riding in the truck was much faster than walking, so as least it made the experience somewhat better what she had anticipated. It had been incredibly awkward for Emma, having to sit there and listen to Billy talk on and on about something to do with sprockets and engines… she really wasn't paying much attention. She had been staring out the window for most of the trip, not feeling comfortable with looking straight at him. Thankfully she didn't need to give him any directions, because within fifteen minutes, they were approaching Emma's yellow bug. That was still at a stand-still on the side of the road.

"Wow, you weren't joking when you said it was vintage!" Billy joked, trying to make Emma smile. She had to hide an eye roll, because to be quite honest, Emma never joked anymore. She had learned it got her nowhere helpful, so she gave up on being funny.

"Yeah, it is." Emma tried to sound less annoyed, "I couldn't figure out what was wrong with it. How much will be the tow truck cost?" She asked carefully, truly dreading the answer. She didn't have much money left; probably just barely enough to get her car into town, let alone get repairs done.

"It'll be around a hundre-" Billy stopped when he saw Emma's eyes widen a bit. "Know what? I'll cover it." He grinned, "But only if you buy me a burger at Granny's!" Emma was shocked and confused. Did this guy really just accept to pay for her towing costs for the price of a burger?

"Wait, Granny's doesn't make you pay a hundred dollars for its burgers… right?" She asked hesitantly, not sure if she could really trust him. Billy let out a deep chuckle and shook his head,

"She doesn't, I promise!"

"Wait a second, Granny is a real person?" Emma questioned, trying not to laugh. This town was getting stranger and stranger with every name she learned. Billy laughed again, smiling genuinely,

"Of course she is! It's called Granny's for a reason!" He said as he finished hooking up the beetle to the tow truck. Emma nodded before heading back around to the passenger side of the truck, trying to hold back her smile for an unknown reason. But before the blonde had the chance to even reach for her handle, she found herself standing there with door being held open by Billy. Emma rolled her eyes, clearly not interested any of his antics. She slipped inside without a thank you, because really, how hard was Billy going to try?

They drove in near silence again; Emma checking behind them every so often to make sure her precious car hadn't fallen off or something. Honestly, it was just a way for her to move. Emma can't stand having to sit still for very long, it makes her feel like she's trapped. She fiddled with her hands in her lap for most of the trip, her anxiety building with every passing second. She couldn't stop thinking about what she could possible do next. On one hand, she didn't have much money left, so staying here wasn't going to be an option. But on the other, her car is out of commission, so now she can't leave at all.

Had Emma not been stuck in a truck with Billy, she probably would have screamed out of frustration. The hot-headed teenager didn't like to bottle up her anger anymore, because she no longer had to. Back when she was in foster homes, she had to hold it in most of the time. If she didn't and let her mouth run or fists fly, the outcome was never pretty. Since having escap- _left_ those horrible homes behind, she no longer had the need to hold back.

* * *

Finally after what seemed like _another_ eternity, they were back at the garage. Emma got out of the truck quickly, really wishing she would never have to go back in. Before she even looked at him, Emma knew that Billy would still be wearing that _annoying_ grin of his. And sure enough as he rounded to her side of the truck, there it was, plastered on his face. Emma let out a huff of annoyance before side stepping around him. He should surely know by this point how she feels about his, "charm".

"So, uh," Emma started, looking over at her stilled bug, "Am I cool to go?"

Billy nodded quickly, "Yeah, you're all set. Granny's is just down the street, I'll be there in a few minutes." He told her nonchalantly. Emma cursed to herself, really hoping he would somehow forget about their little lunch arrangement. She sighed and nodded before turning to walk in the direction he had told her to go.

'_I guess it could be worse…'_ Emma told herself. It was true, it could be _much_ worse. She could be broke right now, having to sleep on a park bench and starve until her car was fixed. But hey, it wouldn't have been the worst few days of her life. Truthfully, she had just left those days behind a few weeks ago, so most of it was still fresh in her mind. They were still like painful wounds, oozing with all her bad memories. There was no way they were going to heal easily, she knew, but maybe someday.

* * *

**A/N: Well, here's the first chapter everyone! I know that some of you might be following my other multi-chapter fic, Bring the Walls Down and know that it hasn't been updated in...four months... And I sincerely apologize for that. I'm very _very_ sorry. My wanting to write that fic has diminished due to a lot of family stuff and personal issues. But have no fear, I'm slowly getting the last chapter done. I _promise_ it will be updated soon. **


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